Where does “roach-backed” come from?

roach-backed (English) comes from English backed, from English back, from French bac, from French baccalauréat, from Medieval Latin baccalaureatus, from Latin baccalaureus, from Latin laurea, from Latin laurus — Forms comparative adjectives.

roach-backed (English): Having a convex back rather than a concave one

Definitions

  1. Having a convex back rather than a concave one

Ancestry of “roach-backed”, step by step

roach-backed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English backed

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishbackedsimple past tense and past participle of back;...
2EnglishbackNear the rear; Not current; Far from the main...
3Frenchbacferry; vat; high school exit exam in France; A...
4Frenchbaccalauréatbaccalaureat; bachelor's degree
5Medieval Latinbaccalaureatusbachelor's degree
6Latinbaccalaureusbachelor
7Latinlaurealaurel, bay tree; crown, wreath or branch of...
8Latinlauruslaurel tree; laurels; a crown of laurel
9English-aceousOf, relating to, resembling or containing the...
10Latin-āceusaceous; resembling, having the nature of, forming, belonging to
11Latin-āxish, -y
12Latin-iumSuffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes...
13Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
14Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives

via English roach

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishroachCertain members of the fish family Cyprinidae,...
2Middle Englishroche
3Old Frenchrocherock
4Persianرخrook; cheek; face
5Middle Persianlhw'rook, castle
6Sanskritरथchariot, car, especially a two-wheeled...
7Proto-Indo-IranianHrátʰaschariot
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanHrót-h₂-os
9Proto-Indo-EuropeanHret-to roll; wheel; to run, roll
Every word from Proto-Italic -jōs